Jewel of the Past and Present: Original
by digisammiegirl
Summary: Naruto is hiding from his fellow ninja a secret of old. A snake joins a spider, and a fox must find the dog and his friends. Inuyasha crossover. Not to be continued. Revision can be found in profile. To be deleted.
1. Chapter 1

Alright, I have no idea what I'm doing with this thing. All I know is that I'm sort'a stuck on MSaS and for some reason I wanted to do this fic. I know, it seems weird, but hey, it's 11 o'clock at night, I'm getting over bronchitis, the antibiotics and cough syrup are doing funny things to my head, the TV doesn't work, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are not worth much at the moment, and I'm tired yet don't want to go to bed.

To those reading this, hoping for an update on MSaS, I'm getting there. I'm just taking a longer break from it than I thought I would.

To those reading this who have no idea what I'm talking about and just want to read this for some reason, go right ahead. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Naruto or Inuyasha. Anything that pertains to them belong to their respective creators.

oOoOo

The Sealing

The light of the torches lit the cavern dimly. The light footsteps of the party echoed sharply in the empty vastness, only disrupted by the occasional dripping of water in the underground pond.

One of the party paused to survey the area in front of a little wooden house. His hair swung back and forth as he looked from side to side, his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist. His ears were flat on his head as he growled, "Are you sure this is a secure place, monk?" At a slight jingle, the man turned to one of his companions.

A man in purple robes looked affronted before replying, "Honestly. After all of these years, couldn't you put your faith in me?" he asked with a dramatic pout on his face.

Disturbed at the look and the shadow cast on his companion, the first consented and turned away. Another of the party laughed at the brotherly act before commenting, "Well I for one think this is a great hiding place for it. It's so deep in the cavern, there's no way any human would be able to find it. There's also all of the sutras and barriers you've set up," he said addressing the one in purple, "not to mention all of the trouble the villagers went to towards building the shrine. Besides," he finished looking downcast, "who will remember the Shikon no Tama once the demons are all gone?"

"He's right, you know," commented the last of the party as he shook out his legs. "Once we're gone, the humans will slowly start to see the jewel as legend as they did before. If anything, it will become another bed time story to scare little kids," he finished weakly as he heard his first companion growl again.

"It's not…it's not the jewel that concerns me," he tempered off as he turned toward the youngest of the group.

Said person smiled softly, his hands behind his back, his eyes both on his fatherly companion and his late mother figure. "She died to protect the jewel. Her memory is connected with the jewel. As the jewel is forgotten, so will she be forgotten. The time of demons is coming to an end. I think this a fitting way to spend the rest of my eternity by protecting her memory. Wouldn't you agree," he asked lightly to the rest of his companions.

The first smiled as he approached the person, now able to look him eye to eye without crouching. "You sure have grown from that yelping pup you once were. When did you do that," he asked lightly as he ruffled the red hair, messing it from its tie.

The redhead smirked and answered, "When you were busy with your ramen."

"Keh."

Suddenly, the last of their party stiffened causing the others to turn toward him. "They're coming this way. My pack won't be able to hold them off for long. We still have to get to our destinations as well," he declared as he addressed the first.

"In that case," the redhead exclaimed as he turned towards the one in purple robes, "what do you need me to do?"

The monk took a long look at his companion before drawing him into a hug. Startled, the redhead returned it. Parting, the monk walked into the shrine, the redhead following. Pausing at the door, the redhead looked back over his shoulder towards his father figure and uncle. Giving a smile and a little wave, he entered the shrine.

Several minutes pass until the monk emerges from the shrine and silently heads towards the exit, his companions following after a short while. The dim light of the torches catch small trails on each of their faces.

Back at the shrine, candles are lit showing a pedestal in the center back. Carved from wood, the top is adorned with soft velvet. In the center, not exactly resting on the velvet yet not hovering over it lay a small, pink jewel. The light of the candles causes it to flicker and shine as a figure stands over it. Behind the pedestal is a statue portraying a regal looking kitsune in human form. A breeze blows through from an unknown source, snuffing out the candle light. In the vast darkness, a pair of eyes from the statue glow red while the jewel glows an unearthly pink. Slowly, the light fades until darkness weighs supreme.

oOoOo

Time is of no matter in places hidden away from the world. Dust and cobwebs are all that is there to fill in the long hours. The shrine, so saturated with mites and spiders show its uninvited guest that indeed many years have come and gone over this place.

The uninvited one raises his torch to sear away the cobwebs and to find his prize. With a slither, a snake goes in before him, making its way towards the pedestal. Coiling up the column, the snake reaches the top. Spying the round object its master wishes, it unhinges its jaws and springs to take the object in one gulp.

Said master sighs as he witnesses his pet turned to ash, inches from its goal. Grumbling, he sets his torch into a holder and pulls out a scroll, gazing at the rest of the interior as he did, his eyes resting on the statue of the demon before returning to his task. Reading it, he does not notice the dull, red eyes set upon his form. "Hah! 'Beware of the guardian of the jewel.' Such things do not exist. But the power, oh yes, I can feel the power coming from this jewel. This 'Shikon no Tama'. And once I crack this last barrier, this power source shall be mine and with it, I shall become the greatest ninja of them all!" Finishing his self-encouraging, the uninvited one began moving his hands, the scroll in front of him.

Kanji, their meaning lost except to those who still studied the old form, circled around the pedestal before parting and a sound like glass breaking could be heard. Smirking, the uninvited one slowly guided his hand to pick up his prize. Not having his hand burned, he swiftly hefts it from its perch. The figure paused to relish in the aura of power emitting into his body before turning, never once seeing the pair of red eyes of the statue that continued to glow brighter.

The figure stood from his crouch and turned to leave only to stop in his tracks. There, at the entrance stood a figure in a red kimono. The light of the torch glistened off the points of the nails on the figure's hands, yet such light paled in comparison to that which emanated from its eyes. Stunned, the figure took a step back, only to trip over a small platform. Turning to catch himself, expecting the statue from before to be there to catch himself onto, he was further surprised when his hands met air.

Grabbing a kuni from his pouch, the uninvited one reared and turned to face the figure. He froze when he didn't see the figure standing at the door. He remained tense as he surveyed the shrine again. After a few moments, he relaxed, mentally telling himself off for being so jumpy, only to freeze again when a hand gripped his shoulder, and a voice whispered through his ear. "Why? Why do you wake me? Why do you seek what is not yours? Why do you seek your own destruction?"

The uninvited one jerked to insert his kuni into the hand of the figure, only to cry in alarm as it dug into his own shoulder. Panicking, he dashed for the entrance, only to duck under the figure as it reappeared.

Once out into the vast cavern, the man's confidence is returned until an earth shattering cry is heard from behind him. Not daring to look back, he rushed back the way he marked towards the entrance.

At the shrine, the figure in the red kimono hung to the door frame. Years of sleep clouded his mind, his though process only on the fact that the jewel had been taken. He had to retrieve the jewel. He couldn't let his mother's memory be taken from him. Like the wind, he raced to the cavern's entrance. Confused when he did not see the uninvited one, he sniffed the air for his blood. His clouded mind became panicked as he realized that his prey had gone further than he had thought he had. With a howl, the figure's face elongated, his kimono turned to fur, and his ears stretched to the top of his head. Behind him, nine red tails swayed in the breeze. Not yet used to the light of the sun, the kitsune used his nose to follow the thief, but after tripping and falling over logs and roots, the kitsune began to grow. Satisfied that he could follow his thief unhindered, he continued following the sent of the thief's blood. Unbeknownst to him, the thief was making its way towards his village.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Alright, to those hoping for an exciting chapter, this isn't it. I'll get to that in the next chapter, maybe. This chapter is mostly for information relating to the back story of the story. Of course, there's no way I can cover everything without giving it all away, but no worries. I've got stuff in mind.

Forgive me if this seems choppy or what not. I'm still not all there in the head at the moment. I also haven't watched Naruto or Inuyasha in a while, but I read the fanfiction constantly. Any notes and ideas from my readers would be greatly appreciated.

To PrincessVictoriaAnnMacbeth, ayka, and anthropomorphizer, thank you for reviewing. I hope I don't disappoint you.

To everyone else, I live off of reviews. 134 hits, yet only 3 reviews. shrug

oOoOo

Truth

"'And so, with a final burst of power, the Yondaime Hokage defeated the Kyubi, giving his life and protecting the village from the demon's wrath.' And that, children, is the story of the defeat of the Kyubi no Yoko. Now then, I want a paragraph each on your thoughts of this story. It is not just a fairy tale, but an actual part of our village's deep history. The best way to remember history is to put your thoughts of it on paper. Again, one paragraph due tomorrow morning. Got it," the teacher asked sternly.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," was the over all response.

"Excellent," the teacher smiled. "You're free to go."

With a yell the children in the classroom began their usual ritual at the end of the day. The girls crowded around a dark hair child while the boys rolled their eyes.

"Hey, Sasuke," a feral looking boy hollered. "Stop being emo, and they'll leave you alone, ya know," he finished with a toothy smirk. The white puppy on his head snickered strangely at its master's joke.

Sasuke turned in his seat to glare at his verbal attacker. "Hn. Kiba." Just those uttered words made the girls swoon.

"Sasuke-kun is so cool!" "No way a dog boy like Kiba could make Sasuke-kun loose his cool."

Sighing, an onlooker reclined in his seat, his feet resting on his desk. "Troublesome. Do you want their wrath on you," he asked Kiba who sat beside him.

"Hey! I was trying to get a reaction from Mr. Icy over there, that's all Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru sighed again before standing to leave. "Troublesome. Come on, Choji. I'm hungry."

"Alright," his portly friend exclaimed. "Barbeque it is!"

"Hey, wait up! I'll join you," Kiba said as he too got up to follow his friends. He grabbed another by the elbow as he walked down, causing is friend to buzz in surprise. "Come on, Shino! You're coming too," he declared.

Pushing his dark glasses further up his nose, the boy commented, "Very well," before taking his arm back to walk on his own.

With the other boys gone, Sasuke decided it was time to leave as well. Standing, he slowly started making his way through the crowd of girls around him.

"Wait! Sasuke-kun! Owe! Move it, Ino," a girl with pink hair growled to a blond.

"Hi, Sasuke-kun," Ino said sweetly before addressing the pinket. "What are you still doing here, Sakura?"

Mentally sighing, Sasuke continued to walk out of the room with the girls following shortly after.

In the back of the classroom sat the last student with his head in his arms. His shoulders shook and a small chuckle turned into a fit of laughter. Once again, everyone had ignored him in favor of their own thing. 'Well,' he thought sadly, 'that's the point, isn't it? To make it so that no one notices me?' Out loud he voiced, "Man on man. A whole paragraph on what I think of the Kyubi's defeat? Now this is gunna be tricky," he finished with a smirk. Turning his smirk into a wide smile, the boy got up from his seat and headed towards the door. Pausing at the entrance, he looked around the room before turning out the lights and shutting the door. He was always the last one.

Walking down the road through the market area of the village, the boy ignored the various glares and comments thrown at and about him from the villagers. "There he is again. When will someone just kill him and be done with it?" "The genin exam is coming up. Who in their right mind would pass someone like him?" The boy's smile grew wider at each comment heard.

Such is the life of a jinchuriki.

'What do I think of the Kyubi's defeat?' he thought quietly to himself as he walked towards his apartment. 'I think that it's a load of bull. There's no way a human, despite how powerful he was, could take down one of the most powerful demons in history. No, the Yondaime, may he rest in peace, was forced to seal him away within a baby, giving his life to the shinigami in return for sealing the demon. Poor guy, forced to fight the other souls in that apparitions stomach for the rest of eternity. Isn't that right though, 'Kyubi'?'

"**Hey now," **a sudden voice exclaimed. **"How many times must I tell you to not call me Kyubi?"**

The boy snickered, causing some nearby villagers to not so subtly edge away from him as he walked by. 'Sorry, Shippo. I just find it so funny!'

"**Hmph. Of course you would."** The rest of the journey was made in silence.

The fact of the matter was that Naruto Uzumaki knew the truth behind the truth. What was being taught at the academy was not the truth. Of course, what was considered the truth was not the complete truth either. It was true that the Yondaime sealed a raging kitsune into a baby boy, but it was said that the reason for the attack was unknown. Naruto knew the reason. A shinobi from the village had stolen the Jewel of Four Souls, the Shikon no Tama. Shippo had not meant to cause such a calamity. The misunderstanding of the century.

Naruto had learned the truth at the age of three. He still remembered the stench of the rotten garbage mixed with his blood in the alley as the villagers abused his body. The sound of his ribs cracking, the wet sound of his breathing as his lungs filled with fluid, and the numbness of his mind as his body stopped functioning. None of that mattered, however, when Naruto woke up in a large puddle of water in what appeared to be a sewer. His mind still numb, he chose a random direction and began walking, his footsteps making small splashes as he went. After an undeterminable amount of time, he came upon a large wooden set of doors with the words 'Forbidden Sealed Chamber' written on a piece of paper. Disregarding the warning, Naruto pushed open the doors, ripping the paper in the process. Beyond the doors sat a set of blood red eyes. Mesmerized, Naruto stumbled towards the set of bars which the eyes lay behind. As he approached, the eyes began to shrink. The silhouette of a giant fox slowly morphed into the form of a tall man. Reaching out a hand, the man beckoned the boy towards him. Seeing the sadness emanating from the red eyes, Naruto blindly reached towards the offered hand. Stepping up the small platform through the bars seemed to take more energy than he had. Once he was within reach, however, the man grasped the child into his arms. Naruto knew no more.

Waking up in his own bed, Naruto had thought it a dream until a voice had started asking how he was feeling. The rest, as they say, was history. Shippo had since taken care of Naruto, teaching him the basic ways of providing for himself. From hunting to thieving, Shippo taught Naruto what he needed to know to survive. At night, his lectures differed; Shippo would tell the child stories of his past. These stories told of the trials and tribulations of the Shikon no Tama and the fate of demon kind.

Mirroring the story of the Kyubi, Shippo and his friends were not able to defeat Naraku. Instead, the priestess Kagome used every ounce of her miko powers to seal the hanyo away into the only thing she had on her: one of her arrows. Unfortunately, due to the heavy strain of such a sealing, Kagome lost her life in the end. She was not the only one, however, as the demon slayer, Sango, too had lost her life at the hands of her little brother, still under the control of the vile spider. The half dog demon, Inuyasha, had been stricken with grief along with his monk friend, Miroku. It had taken many years and everything the team had, including the help of the wolf demon, Koga, and Inuyasha's older youkai brother, Sesshomaru, to get to a point where defeat of Naraku was even possible.

In that time, Shippo had grown into a young man in his late teens by the time Naraku was sealed. A family of sorts had also been established in that time. Inuyasha had become a second father to the kitsune with Kagome as and obvious mother. Everyone else was seen as either an uncle or aunt. In time, the others of Shippo's tattered family began to feel the same. It had given the group a collective heart attack when the two dog brothers had merely bantered after a quarrel with another of Naraku's clones.

However, all things come to an end. With all of the trouble and damage done by Naruku, the humans had started to fight back, creating the first band of human shinobi. Not wanting to commit senseless murder and not wanting to be wiped out, it was by unanimous agreement that all remaining demons would seal themselves away to be awoken when the world was ready for them again. Those that didn't comply were wiped out by the shinobi.

As for the fate of the jewel, Shippo had made a deal with the shinigami when the Yondaime had summoned it. The shinigami's job was to take a soul, the soul of the shinobi who had summoned it, and to do as said shinobi had commanded, but when the specter had seen just what it was to seal away, the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, it refused. Ready to take off with the Yondaime's soul, the shinigami was stopped by the kitsune. The shock of what was happening finally awakening Shippo from his daze like slumber, he wouldn't allow another innocent life to be sacrificed in vain. Shippo instead asked for the shinobi's wish to be granted and for the jewel to be guarded by the shinigami. Honored, the dark specter granted the kitsune's wish, leading to Naruto's current situation.

The fate of the jewel's thief, however, remains unknown. All that Shippo could remember of the assailant was the undisputed stench of snake.

Naruto had reveled in the stories and lessons the kitsune had to teach, incorporating elements of each into his daily life. As such, he downsized himself, knowing that if he were to show too much, he would be cast out of the village if not slain. Yet he honed his skills in his pranks as suitable payback for some of the worst villagers. Booby traps, hiding, stealing, and running was all but a very important game to him with each aspect criticized and nurtured by the kitsune. As of now, Naruto unknowingly held the title of 'Nigh Uncatchable' among the Anbu.

Whistling a tune, Naruto opened the door to his apartment. If one were to see him as the idiot he portrayed, they would be surprised at the state of the place. It looked as though a maid had been by at least once a day. Not a speck of dust could be seen. Plants of different types and sizes lined a few of the walls and counters, each hiding scrolls and a few books on shelves in their vines. Walking into the kitchen, Naruto pulled a clean glass from a cabinet and opened the refrigerator door to retrieve the milk carton. Downing his glass of milk, Naruto shuffled to his room. On his desk lay a blank scroll, ready for his assignment. Sighing, Naruto sat in his chair, debating on what to say for his essay.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: It is 1:30 in the morn, I'm too tired to sleep, I've had this thing a third of the way complete, but just haven't finished it.

To those who see that I started spelling Kyuubi KyuUbi, with two 'u's and not Kyubi, I found that constant typo myself and plan to change it in the future.

To Hasamaki: I think it would be awesome if you did a 'Kyuubi is Shippo' fic. Whole reason I did this one is because I thought there were not enough out there to begin with.

To others that have reviewed, thank you for doing so.

Eyes

"_**The eyes,"**_Naruto remembered Shippo saying, _**"no matter how battle hardened a person, always shows the intent of the individual."**_Such was the situation at hand. It was the day of the Genin exam and Naruto was covertly watching the eyes of his current class. He had already witnessed such eyes twice before, always full of confidence. It was the eyes of the proctors, however, that determined if Naruto himself would pass or fail. He was fairly confident that this time he would be able to graduate with Iruka-sensei as one of the proctors. It was Mizuki-sensei that worried him. His eyes told him of an untold purpose.

"**And what purpose does he have in mind, I wonder."**

'Should I fail? I don't mind another go,' Naruto asked his kitsune guardian.

"**Hmm," **Shippo hummed. **"Let's play, shall we?"**

'Alright! Game time,' Naruto thought with a hidden smirk. It was of no matter to Naruto whether he passed the exam or not. The Old Man, the Sandaime, wouldn't allow him to be kicked out despite the protests of the village counsel.

To pass the time, Naruto studied each of his classmates as they were called into the room opposite of the classroom. This class was rather unusual compared to the last two he had been in. This one had at least one from each major clan of the village. Of course most of his class was going to pass. Either the family would not hear of such failure, or in the case of the last Uchiha he wouldn't allow himself to fail. The bug user Shino, the dog tamer Kiba, the timid eyed Hinata, the shadow master Shikamaru, the mind mistress Ino, the heavy tank Choji, the book worm Sakura, and the rookie of the year Sasuke. All came from either a prestigious clan or a clan known for its talents. Of course they were going to pass.

Naruto was not disappointed as one by one his current classmates were called in and returned; proudly sporting shiny new hitai ate. Naruto almost groaned when his name was called. Snickers could be heard from the class, each wondering how the dead last was going to fail this time. Instead of listening to them, Naruto jumped from his seat. "Alright! Game ti-ga!" he hollered are he tripped down the stairs. The class roared in laughter. Naruto sat at the bottom of the stairs clutching his aching head and whimpering.

Sasuke sat next to the smarting boy in his seat. Looking away, he allowed a small smile at the blond's antics. 'Dobe.' As though hearing the other boy, Naruto bounced to his feet and jogged to the door.

Once inside, Naruto allowed himself to look at his two proctors. Again, Mizuki-sensei had that look in his eyes.

"Now then, Naruto," began Iruka.

Naruto stood at attention. "Hai."

"I want you to perform and produce three Bunshin. Understood?"

"Yes, sensei." He understood. He understood perfectly. But there was something off about Mizuki. The look of anticipation in his eyes slightly unnerved him.

Forming the proper handsign, Naruto began focusing his chakra. He stopped gathering it when he knew he had enough to do the technique properly, but started again to completely blow the jutsu out of proportion. "Bunshin no Jutsu!" In a large puff of smoke, a single, pale clone lay on the ground. Blushing, Naruto scratched the back of his head.

Iruka sighed. He had been certain that Naruto would get it this time. Taking a stamp from the desk in front of him, he solemnly said, "I'm sorry, Naruto, but you fail."

Naruto, playing the part of a truly determined academy student looked heart stricken. Opening his mouth to argue his case, he was stopped by none other than Mizuki-sensei.

"Now, Iruka. Don't you think we should pass him? I mean, this is his third time. And he did manage to make a clone," he said imploringly.

Iruka sighed again. "Mizuki, you know as well as I that we can't pass him. If he can't even create a decent clone, then what will happen to him when he gets out into the real world? It is for his own good." Mizuki looked decidedly downtrodden.

Hanging his head, Naruto exited the room. His mind was going a mile a minute. Ignoring the jeering from his former classmates, he headed towards his swing. It did not make sense. Why would Mizuki, someone who obviously didn't want him to pass, try and convince Iruka to pass him? Perhaps he did want him to die in the field.

"**No, it is something else," **Shippo stated. **"All we can do now is wait." **Naruto nodded.

And wait they did. Naruto continued to swing as the sun began to set. It wasn't until the sun's rays turned red did Shippo sense the shinobi in question.

"Ah, there you are Naruto. I've been looking for you."

Looking surprised, Naruto replied, "You have? Why?"

Mizuki smiled. "Come on, follow me," he commanded as he made his way into the village. Naruto didn't hesitate to follow, but if Mizuki could see the grin on his face, he would have.

oOoOo

Once seated on a high rise overlooking the village, Mizuki began his tale. "You know, you shouldn't blame Iruka. He's just looking out for you." He looked toward Naruto to see how he would react. Seeing nothing, he tried again. "You know, you remind him very much of himself."

Truly not expecting that, Naruto exclaimed, "Realy?"

Mizuki couldn't hold back the smile that claimed his face. "Oh yes. You remind him of him self so much, that he doesn't want to you to get hurt. He knows what kind of mischief he got into when he was your age and he doesn't want to see you do it as well."

"Oh," Naruto muttered looking downcast. "But, I really wanted to graduate."

Shippo smirked at the maniacal grin that briefly overtook the Chunin sensei. **"We've got him."**

"Well, in that case, maybe I should tell you."

"Huh? Tell me what, sensei?"

"Well it's, no. It's far too difficult."

"What, what is it?"

Mizuki looked at him sideways. "Another way for you to graduate."

"Really? Another way? What is it? I'll do it!"

Mizuki smiled.

oOoOo

The Sandaime was strolling along the corridors of the Hokage Tower doing a last minute check of his office before heading home for the night. The day had been long and he was looking forward to a nice cup of tea and a certain orange book. Expecting to see everything as he had left it, he was surprised to see one of his favorite people in his office. "Naruto? What are you…" he never got to finish as Naruto panicked.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, a tall, buxom blond stood where Naruto had been. With a wink and a blown kiss, Sarutobi was out for the count, a small stream of blood running from his nose. Releasing the jutsu, Naruto chuckled nervously. "Hehe, sorry Jiji, but I need to do this. Something major is going on and Mizuki is behind it." With that, Naruto grabbed the scroll that he was there for. Looking at it he read "Forbidden" carefully written in ink. "What the hell is this," he murmured in shock.

"**Kit, what ever you do, do not let Mizuki have that scroll,"** Shippo declared ominously.

'What? Why?'

"**I recognize that scroll. It is the same one your Fourth used to summon the Shinigami."**

'In other words, this scroll is powerful.' Naruto only felt a mental sort of nod in confirmation. 'In that case, I better not let the bastard any where near it,' he concluded as he headed to the rendezvous point with the ninja traitor.

"**The question now is," **voiced Shippo, **"why he would want the scroll in the first place, and why now."**

'He's going to want to gloat, right? That's what Naraku did.'

"**Very true. We'll wait and see. How do you plan on not letting Mizuki any where near the scroll when you're heading right for him?"**

'Easy. The old switch-a-roo. I'll copy the first portion of the original to a fake with a genjutsu and hide the real one.'

Shippo gave a smirk in reply. **"In other words, you're going to read the scroll."**

'Of course,' Naruto quipped.

oOoOo

At the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi was waking up. 'That little punk,' he thought sleepily as he dabbed at his nose with a tissue. 'When I get my hand on him I'll…I'll mark that jutsu of his as forbidden.'

Sighing, the aged man stood and went to his desk. Sitting in his chair, he summoned his squadron of Anbu. "Do any of you what has happened here tonight?" Withholding another sigh when no one answered, he continued, "The Forbidden scroll has been stolen." The various animal masks all jerked up in bewilderment and confusion. Questions began to fly from every direction. Finally, the Sandaime stood and put at stop to the storm. "It was stolen from this room no more than half an hour ago. The perpetrator is Uzumaki Naruto." Indignant comments, accusations, and comments of disbelief filled the room. Again, the Sandaime put a halt to it. "His reasons for doing so are unknown. Know Uzumaki, he must have a good reason for this. Therefore, you are to locate and detain only. Question anyone in peripheral association with him tonight. Understood?" A chorus of affirmations was his answer. "Good. Now go." Like the ninja they were, all present disappeared with neigh a sound.


	4. Chapter 4

And here is yet another update. This one was fun to write for some reason. 

To AmberFox and Lyell: You have no idea how appreciative I feel. I also had the same idea for my story for the bloodlines as you had, but I have not quite figured how to put it in yet. I've got tons of ideas on how to reintroduce Inuyasha to the present day story line, but I haven't settled on one yet. 'Course, I haven't gotten to that part of the story yet either. Hope you continue to enjoy my writing.

To everyone else: Please review. I live off of reviews. Let me know if I really need to change something, if you like something, or if you have ideas to further the story. Just no flames, please. I burn easily.

To those wondering about the age of Naruto in this fic: Academy students typically graduate at age eleven, yes? Didn't Naruto fail twice already? Or was it three times? I'm going with three times, meaning he failed when he was eleven, twelve, and thirteen, and now, for his fourth try, he is fourteen. 

oOoOo

His apartment only a short run from the rendezvoused point, Naruto made a quick stop in. Snatching a blank, identical-looking scroll, he opened the original. ''Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?' Just what does this do?' Reaching for an ink brush to begin copying, his instincts wanting a copy of the jutsu despite previous plans, the jinchuriki was stopped by his demon.

"**Now is not the time, Naruto. Read it and I'll memorize it for you. We don't have time for this." **Shaking himself out of his stupor, Naruto nodded and began reading, Shippo reading along side him through his eyes as he went. The jutsu was remarkable in and of itself. The down side of the jutsu was the amount of chakra involved. However, if one over looked that and saw the up sides, it was one hell of a jutsu. The ability to create your own army, near flawless infiltration, and collective information among clones and caster were the perks listed, but oh the possibilities. **"Oh yes. You need not worry. I shall be keeping this little goodie safe for later use."**

'Fine by me. No way would I want to lose something this valuable. Makes me wonder what else is on here,' Naruto thought as he slowly unwound a bit more of the scroll.

"**Stop right there! I too want to read more, but there is no time. Transfer the text to the fake and get the hell out of here. Last thing we need is for Mizuki to catch wind of this. Not to mention that the old man should be awake by now. Who knows how many Anbu he has out, looking for you. The longer we stay here, the harder it will be to get to the rendezvoused point." **With a slight pout, the boy conceded and placed the scroll on the table after writing a hastily scribbled note. 

Grabbing the copy, Naruto made a series of seals with his hands, mentally remembering what the first few sentences of the scroll contained and allowing the rest to look like the text. Finished, he grabbed the fake and headed out the door.

oOoOo

'Apartment: Anbu checking now. Ramen stand: check. Book store: check. Library: check. Hokage Monument: check. Academy: another check. Where is that blond idiot,' one silver-haired Jounin wondered furiously as he stopped momentarily on the ninja academy roof. He had checked all of the boy's major haunts that came to mind, but the boy in question was at none of them. Looking around to see if anything would give him some insight, he saw a light still on in the teacher's lounge. 'Maybe one of the teachers would know.'

Slipping silently down to the sill of the lounge, the Jounin peeked in. As luck would have it, the boy's favorite teacher was sitting at a table, nursing what looked like a cup of coffee and grading some papers. Taking a chance, the Jounin pushed himself up in through the open window, effectively announcing himself to the Chunin sensei. 

Curious as to who would be visiting the academy at such a late time, Iruka was quick to turn and address his unexpected visitor. Surprise, however, took over at just who his visitor was. "Kakashi. Haven't seen you in a while," he greeted cautiously.

Kakashi cringed. While Iruka was the boy's favorite teacher, said teacher and himself had never gotten along well for various reasons. All said reasons stemming from the students and teaching methods. "It has been a while. I wish I could stop and chat," he lied through his teeth, "but I'm actually wondering if you could help me with something."

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the Jounin. "And just what is it you need help with, Kakashi?"

"I'm looking for someone. A student of yours, actually. The Uzumaki boy. Would you know where to find him," Kakashi inquired with a decidedly innocent voice. 

Frowning, the sensei answered, "And just why would you be looking for Naruto? Has he pulled another prank again that would warrant you to look for him?"

"Myself, a few other Jounin pulled in on favors, and a full squad of Anbu actually," Kakashi corrected, his one eye curved into an impression of a smile. 

Iruka's coffee cut dropped from limp fingers, spilling its contents onto the stack of papers only partially graded.

oOoOo

Sarutobi sighed as he stepped through the entryway into Naruto's apartment. Looking around, he could see a few of his Anbu searching the boy's meager belongings, smiling when he saw them careful of the plants. Turning, he addressed an approaching Anbu with a tiger mask. "Have you found anything?"

The tiger Anbu saluted before answering, "Hai. The scroll and a note addressed to you are on the kitchen table. Other than that, nothing of interest has been found. However, it seems as though he has been through here, but we just missed him. The ink well on the table was just recently opened and the brush slightly damp."

Sarutobi nodded as he headed towards the table, the tiger Anbu following. There on the table was the scroll, a note addressed to him, and an ink well and brush. The Sandaime sighed before questioning, "Has anyone read the letter yet?"

The Anbu's head shook, "No, sir. We thought it best, given your history with the boy, that you read it first. No one has touched it."

Nodding again, the old man picked up the note and read. 'Hi, Jiji. Sorry about the whole knock out thing. You might find the woods north of my place interesting.' Eyebrows raised, he picked up the large scroll, opening it to authenticate it. Finding it the real article, the Hokage frowned. "Naruto might have stolen the scroll, but deliberately gave it back. Something is afoot. Warn the others," he addressed the tiger Anbu. "There is more to this than it seems. I'll be in my office," he warned as he tucked the scroll under an arm and handed the note to the tiger Anbu. With a puff of smoke, he was gone.

Reading the note quickly, the tiger Anbu ordered through his ear piece, "All units, converge on the woods north of the subject's home. Be forewarned, there is more than meets the eye. Detain any suspicious characters for questioning." Without further ado, the tiger Anbu left the apartment for the woods, the others not far behind.

oOoOo

Naruto calmly leaned against a tree as he waited for the traitorous sensei to show up. To pass the time, he and Shippo went over their new jutsu. Having mastered the simple Bunshin Jutsu with the demon's help, the jinchuriki was confident that the Kage Bunshin wouldn't be too much of a challenge, though he hoped he never would have to use it until later in his ninja career. It would show far too much about Naruto than either the jinchuriki or demon wished. 

As they waited, Shippo suddenly quieted. 'What's wrong?'

"**The Anbu are here."**

Discreetly roving his eyes from side to side, Naruto could distinguish the vague outlines of ninja and the occasional white flash from Anbu masks. Deciding to play it cool, he continued to lean on his tree. 'This will be quite a show,' the boy thought. 

Neither the boy nor the Anbu had to wait long as the mastermind showed up soon after the ninja had settled into position. Standing, Naruto greeted the traitor with a smile. "Look, Mizuki-sensei! I did it. I stole the scroll! It was right where you said it would be too. Now I can be a Gennin, right," he inquired enthusiastically. Shippo nearly purred in glee at the near physical tension that went through the nearby Anbu. 

Mizuki stared in shock that the demon child would actually pull it off before a wicked smirk tried to break loose that wasn't lost on the Anbu or jinchuriki duo. Morphing it into a benevolent smile, Mizuki held out his hand and answered, "That's right, Naruto. But your mission isn't complete yet. You have to give the scroll to me before you get your hitai ate."

'So he does want the scroll,' Naruto curiously wondered as he continued to smile.

"**Stall him. Find out why he wants the scroll."**

"That's all I have to do? Alright," he said as he took a step closer to the tree Mizuki stood in. "Hey sensei, I'm wondering just why you chose this scroll," he asked innocently.

Mizuki's eye ticked. "It's a hard scroll to get, Naruto. I felt that if you could acquire that, then your skill would easily be Gennin rank."

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean Gennin can sneak into the Hokage's office? I didn't know that. I thought you said in class that the Hokage's office is the most heavily guarded room in Konoha."

A small frown started to mar Mizuki's face. "That I did, didn't I? And that is the truth, Naruto."

Naruto smiled more, playing the idiot, "Alright then." Taking another step he asked again, "What's in the scroll anyway? It's been making me nervous with a title like 'Forbidden' on it."

Mizuki snapped, "Just give me the scroll, Naruto."

The boy reeled back a couple of steps, further infuriating the traitor. "What did I do? I just want to know what's in this scroll."

Realizing that he would get no where with the demon, he answered the previous question, "The scroll contains very powerful jutsu, unique only to the village. Other villages would pay a high price to have such a scroll. Now hand it over."

Naruto frowned. 'He wants the scroll for another village?'

"**Seems that way. Give it to him. Let the Anbu deal with it now."**

Smiling again, Naruto walked forward, handing out the scroll. The grin on Mizuki's face grew with each step. The scroll had almost reached the Chunnin's hands, the Anbu ready to spring into action, when there was a rustle in the leaves.

"Naruto, stop," exclaimed Iruka as he shoved past a frantic Kakashi who tried to hold him back. Kakashi again cringed and sent an apologetic signal to the frustrated Anbu nearby. The Chunnin and Jounin had hidden themselves and overheard the brief conversation with the jinchuriki and traitor, but it was only Kakashi who could sense the hidden Anbu. "You must not let Mizuki get his hands on that scroll," he continued to cry as he rushed to put himself between his student and traitorous co-worker.

Surprised at Iruka's sudden appearance, Naruto listened and jumped back several feet, much to the dissatisfaction of Mizuki. "Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here," he quietly inquired.

Mizuki grinned again as he thought of a way to turn the situation into his hands. "Don't listen to him, Naruto. Iruka doesn't want you to become a ninja. That's why he didn't pass you despite your effort."

Both ninja looked up in surprise at Mizuki's words. Turning back to Naruto, Iruka yelled, "Don't listen to him. Run! Protect the scroll with your life."

Now slightly panicking as Mizuki jumped down from the tree, Naruto turned only to dodge several incoming kunai. Looking back to see who the kunai came from, but seeing both adults with their hands held out, he bolted. So panicked he was, even Shippo's words of reason couldn't get through his mind. Shippo distressed even more when he realized that the Anbu couldn't keep up with his panicking kit. 

"**Kit, please. Pull yourself together,"** Shippo tried to coax to no avail. It didn't surprise the kitsune that his jinchuriki would panic under such conditions as his faith in adults was minimal at best. Even the gentle Iruka had shown hostility towards his kit in the beginning. 

Eventually, Naruto stopped at the base of a large-rooted tree; the adrenalin in his body wearing out. Clutching the fake scroll to his person, he sat. 'Iruka-sensei wouldn't have thrown those, right? Surely not Iruka-sensei. It had to be Mizuki-teme. Right?'

"**It could not have been Iruka, kit. He looked far too surprised to be him."**

'Shippo? But what if…' He never got to finish as suddenly Iruka came bursting out of the bushes. "Iruka-sensei?"

Seeing Naruto, the sensei smiled. "You ran. Excelent, Naruto. Now, give me the scroll and I'll return it to the Hokage, alright," he ordered genteelly. 

Naruto again frowned. 'But didn't sensei tell me to protect the scroll with my life?'

"**His scent, kit. Check his scent."**

Naruto paused, smelling the wind. Catching a whiff of the man's scent, he froze. "You're not Iruka-sensei."

The benevolent face turned ugly, a sneer now coving it as a billow of smoke formed and dispersed to reveal Mizuki. "Clever, aren't you. Doesn't matter. The scroll will be in my possession and you will finally be dead."

Naruto pretended shock at his words. "Dead? Why would you want me dead?"

Mizuki smirked and laughed. "Haha hahaaa! Who doesn't want you dead? This village would honor me as hero for being rid of its resident curse."

"Mizuki! No," suddenly cried Iruka as he limped through the bushes, several kunai sticking out of his body, only to trip and fall to his knees. Naruto stared, shocked.

The traitor's smirk turned maniacal. "Oh yes. Even Iruka wants you dead. You want to know why," he inquired sweetly. 

"**Oh no,"** Shippo murmured. **"If the village learns that you know about me in any way…"**

'…Then it's the end of our charade.' Suddenly snapped out of his stupor, Naruto regained confidence. "No, I don't want to know! Don't tell me," he exclaimed as he covered his ears and started humming. Regardless, he could still hear Mizuki as he continued. 'Where are the Anbu when you need them?'

"You'll have to face the facts sooner or later. You; the village's dirty little secret, the filthy scion and scorn of fourteen years. The day you were born, the Nine-Tailed Kyuubi attacked, as I'm sure you know."

"Mizuki! Stop this now," Iruka ordered as he struggled towards his humming student. 

"That was the day our Yondaime was killed, murdered by the Kyuubi. That was the day the Yondaime sealed the demon into you! You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!"

oOoOo

Naruto sat in a chair in front of the Sandaime's desk, awaiting the old man's return as he thought over what had happened that evening. Iruka-sensei had made it to him and had grasped the jinchuriki in his arms as though to shield him just as Mizuki started the last of his speech. Naruto could still see through a gap under Iruka-sensei's arm, however; enough to witness the Anbu finally catch up and send a kunai through the back of the traitor's throat.

Mizuki-teme was dead. Hokage-jiji thought him innocent, though still planned on giving him a lecture. The older villagers now knew that he knew about the demon kitsune. And Iruka-sensei was being seen in the med bay of the Hokage Tower. 'But where does all of this leave me now,' he wondered as he tried to ignore the weird, one-eyed jounin with silver hair who stood station at the door. 'It's like he's trying to burn a hole in my back.'

Shippo sighed. **"We'll find out in a short while. Our training will have to be put on hold, you know. The council will most likely be watching you closely, as you can see. We can not make any mistakes."**

'The old man will want to know what I heard tonight, no doubt. I could lie and say that I heard nothing. I'm sure Iruka-sensei has already reported that I was covering my ears.'

"**Perhaps,"** Shippo mused, **"but I doubt it would work. You're welcome to try."**

Their conversation was interrupted by the entrance of the Sandaime.Sarutobi smiled at the Jounin and said, "It's alright. I've got him from here." Nodding, the Jounin bowed and exited, leaving the Hokage and jinchuriki in the room alone. "Well," the old man started as he headed towards his seat, "It's been quite the night, no?"

"Yes, sir," Naruto answered, keeping his gaze on the desk in front of him. 'Is it made of cherry wood or pine?'

"We've figured most of what happened tonight. Mizuki wanted the scroll and used you to get it. You, however, seemed to know what was going on and lead us right to Mizuki. Things got hairy, poor Iruka, and village secrets were reviled, yes," the Sandaime encouraged once he was comfortably seated.

Naruto looked up guiltily. "Hai. I did read the scroll. I thought it would be a good idea to copy some of it into a fake to fool Mizuki."

The Hokage nodded. "Yes, that's half of the secrets told tonight. We'll come back to that. What I'm most curious about, however, is why you didn't tell anyone, Naruto."

Ashamed, the jinchuriki studied his knees. There was a rip in one. He would have to mend it later. "I'm sorry, sir, but to be honest, who would believe me? I know," he cut the Hokage off before he could protest, "you would have listened to me, but think about it. If I had come in here saying that my teacher was trying to use me to get to the Forbidden scroll, what would you have done?"

Sarutobi paused, feeling as though he were being put through a test. "I would have detained Mizuki under our Interrogation Division."

"Exactly," Naruto claimed. "He would have denied everything. It would have been his word against mine. Besides, no one would believe the…" Naruto cut himself off.

"Would not believe the what, Naruto," Sarutobi inquired. Naruto stayed silent. "Naruto, how long have you known about the Kyuubi?"

Naruto turned his face up to look at the old man and gapped. "I…I don't know what you're talking about sir. I've known about the Kyuubi since they first told us in history class."

"Naruto," the old man sighed, "I know you know what I mean. I know you are not dumb. I'm sure you've always wondered why the village treats you as they do. Tonight, you had the perfect opportunity to learn why that was, yet you refused to listen."

Naruto continued to gap. "I…I…that is…"

"**Might as well tell him a portion of it. He knows, Naruto. There's no deigning that."**

Nodding his head back down Naruto quietly answered, "I was three. Some of the villagers had trapped me, beating me. They kept calling me a demon, accusing me of murdering the Yondaime. I just put two and two together. From there, I had suspected, but never thought I'd have it confirmed."

The Sandaime could feel his age creeping up on him. "And you never told me," he asked sadly.

Naruto shook his head. "No sir. I figured that if I were to tell you, the council would find out meaning the village would too. I thought that if they knew that I knew, they would think that I was confessing to being the Kyuubi. I thought it best to stay quiet."

The Hokage nodded in understanding and stood. Naruto stayed perfectly still as he quietly walked towards a high chest of drawers. Opening a drawer, he removed something from it before closing the drawer and walking to situate himself in front of the jinchuriki. Kneeling, he said softly, "Then there is only one thing left to do."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the blow that never came. Instead, he felt something being tied around his forehead. Startled, once the old man's hands had left his head, he looked up into the smiling, kind eyes of the Hokage. The words the Hokage spoke to him still rang in the jinchuriki's ears as he slowly walked down the tower to meet Iruka, his hands still fingering the cool, metal plate on his forehead, "Congratulations, Naruto. You graduate." 


	5. Chapter 5

Looks like a brief vent on LJ works to inspire some people. Shortly after I posted my last entry, I just couldn't help myself and write this up. I've concluded that I love starting fics, but I'm terrible at finishing them.

To people looking for a MSaS update, sorry, but I do plan on getting that one updated soon. Sometime, hopefully, before next Monday which is when summer school starts up for me.

To all of my reviewers, thank you so much for your support and comments.

To Amanda and Lyell, I understand your concerns towards Naruto's age. I've given it some thought, and I decided that instead of 14, I'll make him 13. I see the academy students taking the Genin exam at age 11. I figure if Naruto failed it twice, age 11 and 12, he would be 13 on his third try. Remember, Naruto is trying to 'fit in' and dumb himself down. If he starts and finishes the academy early, that could be cause for chaos in the village. I plan to go back to Chapter 4 and make the necessary changes…eventually.

oOoOo

The Day After

Iruka hobbled into the classroom on his crutches fifteen minutes before the bell. A few of his graduate students rushed to take his bag from his shoulders, a small crowd of curious chatter soon following. "Oh, thank you, Sakura. If you would put it on the desk?"

"Of course, sensei," the pinket responded with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Once situated comfortably in his chair, the Chunin rested his chin in a palm and quietly surveyed his latest graduate class and their curious faces. What was it that tipped them off that Iruka was injured? The crutches, perhaps? Or the cast on his foot? 'And, of course,' Iruka thought amused, 'they'll want to know the story behind it. Too bad for them; that information is classified.' Quietly preparing himself, the sensei waited until all of his graduate class was present. There was ten minutes left until the last class started, and there was a distinct lack of a second blond head.

Retrieving his bag, he started pulling papers out for his next class. "Damn. Forgot to grab the roster sheet. Everyone, I'll be right back. No funny business, alright?"

"Hai, sensei," was the chorus he received. Smiling, he stood and started hobbling back to his office.

Of course, it didn't take long for the second blond to show up after the sensei had left. With a quiet swish of the sliding door, the newest Genin made his presence known. Closing the door behind him, Naruto quietly made his way up to his regular seat, eyes on him the whole way. 'I wonder who will talk first.'

"**The dog-boy. Kiba, right?"**

'Ya. And his pet Akumaru. What makes you say him?'

"**Too much like Inuyasha. It's got to be something about dogs that make people brash at a young age. And wolves."**

Naruto smirked at the comparison. Said smirk, of course, caught the attention of aforementioned dog-boy. "What's with the smirk, Naruto? Why are ya even here? You flunked, again, remember?" Kiba mocked with a smirk of his own. Akumaru gave a small bark as back up.

"Kiba's right, Naruto," the first blond head, Ino, stated. "You don't belong here, so leave."

Lounging in his usual spot next to Kiba, Shikamaru propped an eye open to survey the trouble causing blond. "Troublesome," he sighed. "Do either of you ever use your eyes?"

"Huh?" Several pairs of eyes darted towards the lazy genius. A small sweat drop could be seen dripping down the shadow user's face.

On the other side of the classroom, a raven haired prodigy turned away from the commotion, a small smirk adorning his lips. 'Obviously not. Though, one does have to wonder how he got it,' he thought as he laid his head down, not interested in the commotion in the room.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed again. "If none of you can tell, I'm not going to the trouble of pointing it out to you," he explained as he closed his eyes and continued to lounge. 'Besides, it's too troublesome to figure out the how of it.'

As a pair, Ino and Sakura each leaned towards the scrutinized blond, drawing an annoyed frown from the usually neutral face.

Surprised, Sakura made the first observation. "That's a Konoha hitai ate! Where did you get it?"

"You stole it, didn't you?" Ino accused.

Naruto sighed and grumbled, "I didn't steal it. I earned it, thank you very much. Now, if you don't mind, would you please get out of my face," he asked with a snarl. Startled, the girls and spectators jumped back a few paces. Shippo quietly chuckled as he lounged in his cage, watching the spectacle through Naruto's eyes.

Enraged, Sakura and Ino both grabbed Naruto by the front of his orange jacket. Together, they started yelling at the unfortunate blond. The jinchuriki merely looked on, waiting out the ire of his classmates. Not seeing a wanted reaction, however, the girls hauled Naruto over their shoulders, making him fly to the front of the room, face planting on the desk, in front of where Sasuke rested, oblivious in his light nap. Of course, this got a reaction from both boys. As Naruto forced himself up, ready to give the two kunoichi a piece of his mind, Sasuke's head shot up in surprise. Time seemed to slow as the two startled boys locked lips. Both seemed to pause and blink, not quite understanding what was going on. Seconds later, they scrambled away from each other; Sasuke tipping backwards in his chair and Naruto falling backwards off the desk.

"**Hahahahaha! Priceless! Simply priceless!"**

'Shut up, you bastard fox! This is not funny!"

Shocked at what they saw, the two kunoichi responsible turned a vibrant red before attacking the jinchuriki alongside their fellow fangirls. The blond forced himself into a fetal position as the fangirls abused his body, accusing him of stealing Sasuke-kun's first kiss. The rest of the class looked on in shock at the display.

Back up where it started, a familiar blond watched his clone as it took a beating. Sighing, he laid his head down and allowed his clone to disappear, giving a wince as memories of the clone assaulted him. The fangirls gave a startled shout when their victim suddenly turned into smoke. Looking from the fangirls back towards the blond behind him, Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled, "Troublesome." 'How the hell did he get back up there?'

All action was halted by the return of Iruka sliding open the classroom door. "Alright, everyone back to your seats; time to assign teams."

"Iruka-sensei! Why is Naruto here? He didn't graduate," the still irate, pinket stated.

"Hm? Oh yes. How are you this morning, Naruto," Iruka inquired.

Looking up, the blond jinchuriki answered, "Fine, Iruka-sensei. I've definitely had a kick start to my day. How are you doing?"

Iruka looked puzzled. "Kick start?" he inquired only to have most of the class start quietly laughing. Naruto shook his head and returned to resting his head.

Deciding he didn't want to know, Iruka continued to hobble back to his desk, team rosters in hand. "Now then; this is your last class with me, within this room," Iruka started his graduation speech. "Each of you will be put on a three-man team. You and your teammates will be assigned to a Jonin-sensei. This sensei is responsible for you, your teammates, and your training. Now, this roster," Iruka explained with a slight wave of the paper, "gives me the names and sensei of each team. Each team and corresponding sensei was hand-picked by the Hokage. Therefore, if you have any qualms about the people on your team or your sensei, go talk to the Hokage." Nervous gulps could be heard from various parts of the room. "Now then, Team 1 is…"

Naruto tuned Iruka out, mentally setting his ears for his name. 'Will it be the last time I'm in here? I know a few of the graduates from last year came back. Will we be weeded out again?'

"**More than likely. The academy is for the academics. The real stuff is when you graduate with the basic knowledge. Now, they need to know if you are physically up to it in the field. I smell another test."**

'I wonder what kind of test,' Naruto commented to his demon friend.

"Team 5 will consist of…"

"**I suppose that will be up to the sensei."**

'You're probably right. It will probably be someone that the council has under their thumb too. Guess I'll have to play it low, huh?'

"**More than likely."**

"Team 7 is Naruto Uzumaki…," said jinchuriki sat up straighter, "Sasuke Uchiha…," promptly had a mild panic attack while the female population held their breath, "and Shikamaru Nara," and proceeded to allow his forehead to smack onto the desk before him with a dull clang of his hitai ate. The blond could deal with both the stuck up Uchiha and the lazy Nara; it was the fangirls of said stuck up Uchiha that worried him.

"**Oh boy. Here we go."** And like clockwork, the shrieking began, aimed at both the jinchuriki and the shadow user.

"How dare you get placed on the same team as Sasuke-kun!" "You are going to go tell the Hokage that you want to switch with me, damn it!" And other such accusations and demands were bombarded upon the unfortunate Genin.

When Naruto had assumed the fetal position again and Shikamaru went limp in an abusive fangirl's hands, Iruka finally decided that enough was enough. "Quiet! All decisions are final. In the real life of a shinobi, you rarely are able to choose your teammates. There will be often times where you must work alongside someone you do not get along with. The ability to work with that someone is a mark of a true shinobi. If you have a problem with it, go ahead, talk to the Hokage. He'll tell you the same thing I am now. If you can not work with your assigned comrade, you should just quit being a shinobi." Silence met his speech and slowly, the girls retreated to their own seats, Sakura and Ino the last among them, though still glaring daggers at the two shinobi. "Good. Now, Team 7's Jonin Sensei will be Hatake Kakashi. Team 8 is Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga. Your Jonin Sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. As Team 9 is still in commission, Team 10 will be Choji Akamichi, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno with Asuma Sarutobi. Team 11 is…"

"Oh good kami," Ino moaned quietly in a slumped position. "I'm stuck with Choji and Forehead Girl."

Hearing her, Sakura went red. "Hey! I don't like it any better than you. This is all Naruto's fault. He wasn't supposed to be here anyway," she whispered back indignantly.

Ino shook her head. "The Hokage made these lists. He would not have put Naruto on a team if he didn't think he should be on one."

"Ya, but you know how chummy he is with the Hokage."

With another shake of her head, Ino explained, "If that were true, don't you think Naruto would have been put on a team already instead of retaking the Genin exam three times?"

In the back, the blond of topic gave a small snort in mild amusement.

"**Not as amusing as that kiss." **The blond turned red.

'Shut up!'

"And that concludes this year's Genin graduate teams. Congratulations to all of you and lots of luck. You're going to need it. Your Jonin sensei will be coming to pick you up in an hour in this room. Until then, feel free to have lunch, chat with your new teammates, and get a bit of exercise. You have been an excellent class and I can not wait to hear of your progress," Iruka concluded with a bow.

As one, the newly dubbed Genin rose and bowed back. "Thank you, Iruka-sensei."

Slowly, the Chunin sensei gathered up his papers and supplies into his bag and slipped it on over his shoulders. With a wink towards his favorite student, he hobbled out of the room. Naruto gave a small grin in his wake.

The room erupted into chaos as the Uchiha's teammates were bombarded with questions, suggestions, and demands. Both played ignorant or asleep. The chaos did not last long as the crowd slowly started losing interest until it was only the two of Team 7 left. Looking up, the jinchuriki noticed someone missing. "Hey. Where did Sasuke-teme go?"

Not bothering to look around, Shikamaru answered, "How troublesome. He left us high and dry."

Naruto puckered his lips together in a slight pout. "Some teammate," he muttered as he dragged out an apple from his jacket pocket. Rubbing it slightly on his shoulder, he took a bite.

oOoOo

Out in the academy courtyard, said deserter sat in a tree, eating his packed rice balls, and assessing his teammates from what he knew. 'The Nara guy is supposed to be from a clan known for their genius, but is notorious for their laziness. A lazy bum won't be of much help to me, no matter how smart he is. Uzumaki is almost the same way. Lazy and laid back, but he can be loud at times. Of course, he was lazy enough to fail the Genin exam twice already. A third if the last one was anything to go by, but his hitai ate says other wise. It at least shows that he has some hidden secrets. That might be useful to me, but he's such a lazy ass. I'm probably overestimating him. This Kakashi guy, on the other hand, I have never heard of. So long as he can make me powerful, I don't care,' he concluded as he took a sip of water from his canister.

A little ways away from Sasuke's tree, several of the other Genin graduates were gathered around in the shade. Their topic shifted between the Uchiha and the surprising Uzumaki. "I say he sweet talked the Hokage. There's no way he could have gotten his hitai ate legitimately. Besides, we all saw him fail the Genin exam. Iruka-sensei could even vouch for that," Sakura stated.

Pushing his glasses up his nose a little, Shino countered, "Throughout shinobi history, there have been several who have broken out of the mold provided by society. An example being Uchiha's own brother, Itachi Uchiha, whom graduated from the academy after only one year at the age of 8. Naruto, one could say, is his antithesis."

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Ya, and look where that genius landed. The whole clan was slaughtered, remember? We have our living proof in our own class."

Choji swallowed his potato chip and said, "While that's true, Shino has a point. Naruto might have found another way to graduate. And as Sakura said," he added hastily so as to avoid his new teammate's glare, "he is very friendly with the Hokage. It's possible he could have pulled a few strings."

"Well I don't believe that for a second," Ino strongly stated. "It's like Iruka-sensei said, it is the Hokage's decision. I don't think the Hokage would idly grant someone who has failed the Genin exam in the past shinobi status. There's something else going on."

"W-what changed your mind, Ino-san?" Hinata questioned quietly from behind Kiba.

"What changed my mind? What do you mean, Hinata-chan?" Ino asked perplexed.

"W-well, you were s-so angry with N-Naruto-kun a few minutes ago. W-why are you not n-now?"

"I was angry that he took my spot on Sasuke-kun's team! If he had not have graduated, I could have been on the same team as Sasuke-kun. I've got to say, though, the mystery of Naruto's graduation is rather intriguing. That makes up for the anger."

"Anger and intrigue; a deadly combination," Shino commented.

"Perhaps, but I think it'll be fun," Ino countered with a sly twinkle in her eye.

Back in his tree, the last Uchiha struggled to remain his composure. 'How dare they bring up Itachi. And to compare him to the dobe? Inexcusable,' he thundered in his mind as he jumped from his branch. Keeping his head low so as to hide his murderous face, he stalked back to the classroom.

oOoOo

Naruto looked up, disturbed from his doze, as the last member of his new team decided to come storming in, casting a brief glare towards the blond. 'What else went up his butt?'

"**Something that he most likely won't tell any one. At least, not without some serious prodding."**

'He looks like he'll bite my head off if I ask,' the jinchuriki concluded as he went back to his lucid nap.

Slowly, the rest of the graduate class returned to the room, ready to be picked up by their sensei.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I just finished reading back through the story and I feel like doing a rewrite; so many mistakes that should not be there. As it stands, I'll probably not get to it for a while.

Churning this chapter out is like pulling teeth as it is, especially when all I want to do is get to the main part of the story, but I can't because I need to get through these fiddle things first. Hopefully this is the last filler chapter I will need to put in and then I can start in on the actual story line.

**AN2**: Went back over it and fixed some things that seemed to be out of place, was incorrect, or just didn't flow well.

I'm thinking about trying and getting another chapter out for JotPaP or something else before Christmas, but we'll see.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Demimeg and Cloud Dancer1014.

To Cloud Dancer1014 – No need to worry. I do eventually update my stories…it just takes a while. Ask anyone who reads my story Magical Secrets at Sea. Hope this chapter will assure you.

To Demimeg – I smile every time I read your review. It's true that Kyuubi and Shippo bring up two very different images, but that is what makes it fun. ^_^ I'm sorry to tell you that I won't be doing any pairings, no matter how cute Naruto and Hinata would be. And trust me, there's a reason I put Shikamaru in instead of Hinata. Hope you like the chapter.

To the rest of my reviewers and readers – I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. I hope that this update will make up for it. Please let me know what you guys think.

Oh! And Vixen Uchiha, shush you! Don't be giving things away. ^_^

oOoOo

Meet the Team

Naruto shuffled in his seat for the umpteenth time, his face contorted into slight discomfort as he steadfastly tried to ignore the stares of his teemmates. He knew what they wanted of him, but he didn't know how to go about telling them that what they wanted to ask was classified information. It didn't help that Sasuke's gaze freaked him out which forced him to edge towards Shikamaru who he knew could freeze him at a slight touch of his shadow. Naruto was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and it wasn't helped any when Shikamaru seemed to find it too troublesome to continue to try and outstare his blond comrade and decided to sleep instead.

The three boys had been left to their own devices after the last of the teams had been picked up by their Jounin instructors. Naruto could have sworn that the lady Jounin who had come to pick up Team 8 had given them a sympathetic smile as she left. Naruto felt another tick added to his forehead as he glanced at the clock at the front of the room again. It had been an hour and a half since Team 8 had left.

Sasuke wasn't faring much better. The comparison made by his peers was still gnawing on his brain. The fact that they even had the gall to bring up his brother's name was infuriating in and of itself. But it still left questions in the young prodigy's mind. "Hey, Naruto," he stated.

The jinchuriki's shoulders stiffened. Deciding to acknowledge the rather rude way of getting his attention, Naruto turned his squinted eyes towards his teammate. In the back of his mind, Shippo commented on the fact that Shikamaru's even breathing had become too even. The genius had woken up and was listening. "Ya, what," he countered defensively.

"How many times have you tried to graduate from the academy?"

"Huh," Naruto hummed out in surprise. That was not the question he was expecting, but it could lead to what he didn't want to answer.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "It's a simple question, Dobe. How many times have you taken the graduation exam?"

Naruto frowned. What was he up to? "Three times, including the last one. Why?"

"How old does that make you?"

Now the blond jinchuriki was really surprised. "I'm thirteen."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at the fact that he outclassed someone two years older than him. 'Antithesis indeed. Brother graduated at age eight with top marks. The dobe graduated two years late and at the bottom of the ladder. That should mean something, right? So now the question is…' "How did you graduate?"

Naruto could feel his whole body tense. He was going to have to work on that. Dimly, he noticed that Shikamaru wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was awake and listening.

"**Be careful, Naruto."**

'I know. We were expecting this, right?' "The Hokage graduated me." A statement that was the truth. The Hokage had graduated him.

Even Shikamaru frowned. "Why would the Hokage…" The Uchiha did not get the chance to finish his question when the sound of the door opening caught their attention.

A shock of silver hair seemed to stick itself through the door, followed by a head and body. Leisurely, the Jounin looked at the three remaining boys with his one eye that was not covered as he strolled to take a spot at the front of the room.

If Naruto had been tense before, he hadn't noticed. Now it felt as though all of the hairs on his body were standing on end. 'Shit. It's that one-eyed Jounin from last night.'

"**We knew this was coming too," **Shippo said with a resigned sigh. **"We just get all of the luck, don't we?"**

'He didn't give the old man any trouble when he asked him to leave. Could that mean…'

"**Doubtful. Acting is part of the game. As for our act…"**

'Right.'

Silence filled the room as the Jounin continued to study the three boys. Kakashi went over what he knew about them from their files. He was not looking forward to teaching the Uchiha seeing as the council would be at his neck to try and get the kid to show the Sharingan. Teaching the Nara wouldn't be too bad. At least until he wanted to get the kid to do something constructive.

As for the jinchuriki, he didn't know what to make of the blond yet. Whereas the other two were prodigies in their own rights with top marks in every field, the Uzumaki had been forced to repeat the last year twice and had been the dunce of the class each time. Comparing his school records with what the wolf Jounin had witnessed last night and what he personally knew of him already left him confused. The dunce of the class had given professional Anbu the slip, including him self, and had the insight to know that he was being tricked. On the field it appeared that he was up to snuff, yet it didn't show in his track record. This made the boy unpredictable and Kakashi disliked surprises.

Oh well. They were not his students yet.

Kakashi suddenly smiled, his visible eye curving. A grin spread across his covered face when he sensed the boys twitch in surprise. And was that tension he saw in the blond's shoulders? "Alright. I guess you three are my students, ne? Well, it's a bright, sunny day, so I'll meet you on the roof," he instructed as he disappear in a puff of smoke.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru finally spoke. "He makes us wait and then tells us to go to the roof. Troublesome guy," he mumbled as he stood and started heading for the door. Sasuke gave a grunt as he stood and followed.

Naruto, however, stayed where he was. He and Shippo had talked about this for most of the evening and morning; the possibility of the Konoha Council sending in someone to watch and ring the bell on him for anything that may seem suspicious or be considered demonic in nature. The one-eyed Jounin had obviously been one, but the last thing either jinchuriki or demon had predicted was to have the same Jounin as Team 7's instructor. Despite the fact that Shippo had run through various scenarios with Naruto and had coached him until the boy had fallen asleep with fatigue, the blond jinchuriki was still nervous. It was one thing to suspect, it was another to have confirmation.

Noticing one of his teammates not with him, Shikamaru paused in the door way to look behind him. Sasuke stopped as well, his brows knitting together in a frown at the holdup. "Oi, Naruto," the shadow user called out, curious of the expression of impending doom on the immobile blond's face.

"What's the matter, Dobe," Sasuke asked with a smirk when he caught sight of the other boy. "Finally realize you're not supposed to be here?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry guys," Naruto grinned as he scratched the back of his head and stood. "I guess I just zoned out there. Sorry. I do that sometimes," he explained as he made his way over to the other two.

"Whatever, Dobe. Just try and not get us killed when you go off in your fantasy world," Sasuke sneered as he turned around and stalked out of the room past Shikamaru.

Naruto gave a frown. "What is up with that guy? I didn't do anything to him." Shikamaru gave a snort before continuing to make his way out of the class room, mumbling 'troublesome' along the way. "Was it something I said," he wondered aloud as he too made his way out the door and towards the stairwell to the roof.

"**I wouldn't dwell too much on it,"** Shippo advised, though he too was frowning at the situation. **"All three of you are under a degree of stress at the moment. You may not know it, seeing as how you have not had much social interaction, but your nervousness can be sensed by those around you. The fact that you scored at the bottom of the class thrice over and that you graduated under unknown conditions, or suspected conditions, does not give them much confidence in your skills. They probably are worried about taking up the slack they think you'll make."**

'Suspected conditions?'

"**We have to start working on your hearing skills, Kit. Some of your classmates think you graduated because of your relationship with the Hokage. The rest find your situation interesting."**

'What? When was this?"

"**During lunch."**

"Oh yes, that makes me feel so much better," Naruto grumbled as he stomped his way up the stairs. "Talking about me behind my back. Not like I don't get that enough from the adults, but do my own peers have to be so negative," he quietly asked no one in particular as he opened the door to the roof. Making his way out, he spied the other two seated on the stone benches in front of their instructor.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Kakashi looked up. "Well, it's about time you decided to join us," he said in mock annoyance, hoping to get a rise out of the boy. He was met with surprise when the blond didn't comment, only proceeded to take a spot furthest away from his other two teammates. Interesting yet worrying. The teamwork in this group was going to be appalling. Maybe he didn't need to worry about trying to help the team fail for once; they'd make themselves fail on their own. "Ok," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "Let's start with introductions. Name, hobbies, likes, dislikes, future ambitions, and anything else you can think of. Who wants to start?" No one volunteered. "Alright. I guess I'll go first. My name is Hatake Kakashi, Kakashi-sensei to you lot. I like a lot of things and hobbies that would probably scar your young minds. My dislikes are also none of your business. Alright, you next," he said as he pointed to Shikamaru.

"Troublesome," the shadow said with a sigh. "My name is Shikamaru Nara. My hobby is sleeping. I like watching clouds. I don't like doing chores. I don't plan on doing much in the future."

Kakashi nodded. "And you, the brooding one."

Sasuke scowled. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't like a lot of things and like even less. My ambition, my goal is my own."

Kakashi nodded again, though, to those that could tell, a frown marred his face. 'No signs yet of an avenger streak, but they can still pop up.' "Ok, and blondie." He was met with silence. "You're next, kid," he urged again in Naruto's direction. The jinchuriki just continued to stare. "Do I need to persuade you to speak," he threatened with little conviction and a smile.

"I'd like to ask a question," the blond finally spoke. The Jounin nodded in consent. "I can not understand why you want us to go through introductions when you can learn about us through our dossiers. If this were about actual introductions, you would have given us more than your name."

Kakashi smiled under his mask. This one could think. "That is very true, but what your files don't mention in much detail are the characteristics of the person in question. I'm surprised you noticed, Naruto," he tried to praise only to be surprised when the jinchuriki paled. 'Why is he so tense?' "Want to continue anyway?"

'Shit. I only mentioned it because I thought it was obvious.' "Um, sure," Naruto said with a slight smile. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen. I don't like snakes or spiders. I don't have any future ambitions," he said succinctly. He made sure not to make eye contact with his teammates as he was able to feel their curious gazes.

Kakashi clapped his hands once. "Good. Now that introductions are out of the way, we can begin the real Gennin test," he announced in false cheer. He wasn't surprised when only Naruto did not seem shocked.

"What do you mean 'real Gennin test'," Sasuke asked cautiously after he gauged the others' reactions.

"I'm guessing," Shikamaru started, "that the test we took in the academy was just to weed out the weak, right?" Kakashi nodded. "What happens if we don't pass?"

"You'll be returned to the academy for further training. Any other questions on that, you can ask Naruto. Now then, your test will take place tomorrow morning at seven sharp. Come prepared, but don't eat breakfast; you'll just throw it up. See you tomorrow," the Jounin parted in farewell before disappearing in another cloud of smoke.

Naruto stood ready to leave, until a hand jerked his arm back. He twisted out of the grasp and turned to glare at the perpetrator only to find Sasuke. "What do you want?" The jinchuriki felt nervous under the accusing eyes of the Uchiha.

"Why didn't you warn us that there was another test, Dobe?" Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Maybe we would not have looked like green fools back there if you had told us."

Naruto continued to glare. "I didn't say anything because one, you didn't ask, and two, I didn't know for sure myself. Several people have returned to the academy, placed in different classes, even after graduating. I did try asking why, but no one told me." And it was true; he had asked several of the people who had returned to the academy, but each would snub him and tell him nothing.

"In other words, you didn't know for sure," Shikamaru summarized. "That's okay then."

The glare fell from Naruto's face, only to be replaced with shock. "Huh?"

Shikamaru stood and joined his other teammates. "You didn't know if your information was true or not and decided not to tell us. Whether or not you did this intentionally, you didn't give us false information. If we pass the test tomorrow, decisions like that will become commonplace. In this case, the information you had was true, but you didn't know it. By not telling us, Sasuke and I were blindsided, but that's alright because it did no harm. In the future, however, how about we give each other whatever information we have with a side note of its authenticity," the shadow user suggested. Sasuke gave a grunt, annoyed that someone else was taking up the leader spot other than him, but consenting to the common sense the other spoke. Naruto nodded his agreement as well. "Now that we have that clear, how about answering Sasuke's earlier question, Naruto."

'Damn.'

"**I knew this was going to come up again."**

"What earlier question," he countered as he kept his face neutral though the pallor of his cheeks could give it away.

"How did you graduate, Naruto?"

"Oh, that question. I already told you; the Hokage graduated me."

Sasuke gave a hum of annoyance. "Yes, you said that. But why did the Hokage decide to graduate you?"

'Information. We just agreed not to hold back information, but this is classified. I need to ask Jiji. Stall, stall, stall…' "Tell you guys what," the jinchuriki said with a grin. "Let's play a game."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in question. "A game?"

The blond nodded. "A game."

"What kind of game," questioned the Uchiha.

"The rules are simple. If we pass Kakashi-sensi's test tomorrow, I'll tell you what I can about my graduation. If we don't pass, you get nothing. Agreed?"

Sasuke gave a smirk. "Might as well tell us now then, Dobe."

"How are you so sure we'll pass," the shadow user addressed Sasuke.

"What makes you think that an Uchiha can not pass a simple test," he countered.

"You're just full of yourself, aren't you," Naruto asked in faked exasperation causing Sasuke to glare at him while Shikamaru grinned behind a fist and a cough. "Pride come before the fall, and all that jazz," he continued nonchalantly. Infuriated, Sasuke turned on his heel and stalked off. Before he could get too far, however, Naruto hollered out, "Wait. In the spirit of sharing information, I highly suggest that we do not not eat breakfast tomorrow."

"What," Sasuke questioned incredulously as he turned back around.

"Our orders were to not eat breakfast, Naruto. That is another part of the shinobi life: following orders. Or did you skip that lesson too," the Nara asked in exasperated boredom as though what he said was common knowledge.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," he commanded quickly with waves of his hands. "Just hear me out. Yes, I know that our orders were to not eat breakfast, but think about it. There is a reason why breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. And if you want a shinobi scenario, what would a shinobi do when presented with the possibility of not having access to food for a while? Don't the Akimichi consume larger amounts of food than usual just before going out on a mission in order to stock up on energy? I say that Kakashi-sensei is out to sabotage us, wanting us too hungry tomorrow to be able to function properly. And if we can't function properly then we're guaranteed to fail the test."

The roof was silent as the other two digested what the blond had said. "He has a point," Shikamaru conceded as he addressed Sasuke.

"Are you agreeing because he mentioned the Akimichi clan," he accused, referring to the shadow users well known friendship with Choji Akimichi. "And on top of that," he said as he addressed Naruto, "What makes you think the instructor is out to sabotage us?"

Naruto shrugged in response. "Just a feeling."

"Better to be cautious than hungry," the shadow user commented. "And how do you know the Akimichi's pre-mission habits?"

Shrugging again, the blond answered, "I have a lot of time on my hands. I like to watch people."

"**More like watch out for people."**

Shikamaru gave a chuckle as a wry smirk twitched into existence on his face. "Troublesome. Alright, I'll play along with your game and I'll take your advice. You're as troublesome as our sensei, ya know," he asked rhetorically as he stared making his way back to the stairwell.

"Hn," was Sasuke's comment as he too started to leave. Whether he would take the blond's advice or not remained to be seen.

Once the other two had left, Naruto took to the rooftops, sticking to the shadows. He had some questions to ask the old man.

oOoOo

AN: And that's that. I don't usually leave an author's note at the end of my fics, but I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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